Melling Chase

Melling Chase Overview

The My Pension Expert Melling Chase is a Grade 1 chase run over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs. During the contest, sixteen fences will be jumped with the race being run on the second day, Friday of the three day Grand National meeting in early April. The winner can expect to collect around £143,000.

There are sixteen fences to be negotiated during the contest open to chores aged five years or older. The race normally features horses coming from the Cheltenham Festival who have contested the Queen Mother Champion Chase or the Ryanair Chase.

Melling Chase Betting Trends and Statistics

• 15 of the past 18 winners had previously contested either the Queen Mother Champion Chase or the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, with both the winners from the former who ran here winning.
• Joseph O’Brien has an excellent record in the race, with two winners from just three runners.
• Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson have both won the race on a record four times and their representatives have always to be respected.
• The most successful age of the winner over the past decade has been seven and eight-year-olds who have won 8 of the 9 renewals (the race was not run in 2020).
• Six horses have won the race twice – Viking Flagship (1995 & 1996), Direct Route (1999 & 2000), Native Upmanship (2002 & 2023), Moscow Flyer (2004 & 2005), Voy Por Ustedes (2008 & 2009) and Fakir D’oudairies (2021 & 2022).

Melling Chase History

The race was first run in 1991 and is named after the village Melling, which lies 3 miles away from the racecourse. The Melling Road, a public road, has often been associated with the Grand National as it crosses the racecourse on the National course. Nicky Henderson’s much-lauded Jonbon stormed to victory in the 2024 renewal of the Melling Chase and will be looking to win back-to-back in 2025.